Golding needs to reconnect, says Vaz
Published:Thursday | May 5, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writer
With recent opinion polls showing that Prime Minister Bruce Golding's image has taken a battering, a key member of the administration has conceded he needs to reach out to Jamaicans.
Daryl Vaz, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, who has responsibility for information, said Golding needs to rebuild his image, which he said has been tarnished by a number of issues, including the Manatt-Dudus controversy.
Vaz said following the presentation of the Budget and the report of the Manatt-Dudus commission of enquiry, Golding will have to "go back out there and reconnect with the people".
"We have been under severe pressure over the last 12 months from the recession to everything else you can think of," Vaz said during the weekly post-Cabinet press conference at Jamaica House yesterday.
"The prime minister and the (JLP) leader has been bogged down with government-related matters. Time has to be found for not only the leader, but other government ministers to spend more time in dealing with the politics and the constituencies," Vaz explained.
The Golding administration is in its fourth year in office and a general election is due next year.
Golding has faced severe backlash since he admitted last year that he sanctioned the initiative of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to engage United States law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips to lobby the US Government on the Christopher Coke extradition case.
public losing faith in credibility
A poll conducted by the RJR Communications Group last month showed that 57 per cent of Jamaicans believe that Golding could not maintain credibility in light of the Manatt issue.
While this represented a three per cent increase from the number recorded last July, the polls found that the percentage of those who said they could maintain credibility in the prime minister had dipped eight per cent to 25 per cent.
The polls also found that 48 per cent of respondents believe Golding should resign for his role in the Manatt affair, 57 per cent of those followed the Manatt-Dudus enquiry said they had a less favourable impression of him since he testified before the commission and 43 per cent of respondent believe he was the least believable witness.
Vaz steered clear of criticising the poll findings, but pointed out that they represented a "snapshot of a particular time" and the Government and the JLP has taken heed.
He said there is no denying that the Manatt controversy has had a negative impact on Golding and the JLP, but said the prime minister retains 100 per cent backing of the party and the Government.